Yamazaki Mazak has welcomed the success of its latest Open House, which saw the UK manufacturing community turn out in force to experience more than 20 machines in live-cutting action.
The event, which ran from 3-5 December, received over 500 visitors from more than 240 companies at Mazak’s European Manufacturing Plant and Technology Centre in Worcester.
Themed around ‘Team Mazak’, the Open House focused on the organisation’s core values of customer centricity and close collaboration to drive productivity.
Given the ongoing skills shortfall facing manufacturers, the four turnkey automation systems on display proved among the most popular attractions for visitors. Garnering particular interest were the best-selling UK-made CV5-500 5-axis machining centre and the new VCN-600 high-performance vertical machining centre, both of which were equipped with an MA robot with a versatile stocker unit for low-medium batches.
Among these was the unveiling of the new HQR-200/3 NEO, showcased to UK machine users for the very first time. Equipped with three turrets and two spindles to deliver increased productivity with high environmental performance, it was one of four NEO machines on display alongside the HCN-5000 NEO horizontal machining centre, the VARIAXIS i-700 NEO 5-axis Multi-Tasking machine and the OPTIPLEX 3015 NEO laser processing machine.
Also making its UK exhibition debut was the INTEGREX i-350H ST AG, which demonstrated specialist gear machining tasks including gear skiving, hobbing and milling.
The event also provided visitors with a first opportunity to explore Mazak’s new Sheet Metal Department within its production facility. It features two new 6 kW OPTIPLEX 3015 NEO 2D Fiber laser machines used to cut cladding for machine housings, tended by a double tower automation system to feed the sheet metal and a robotised Mazak Smart Manufacturing Cell for parts sorting.
